In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace  that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.    And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Eph.1:7-10)

Knowing who we are in Christ is essential to believing God’s promises for us and for walking in the potential destiny he has determined for our lives.  The accuser tells us at every opportunity that we are not worthy of God’s love, his promises, or our destiny.  If we receive the accusation we approach the Lord half-heartedly expecting little because of our shortcomings. Often we fail to even ask for much that is ours because we walk in the unworthiness of the flesh rather than in the righteousness of Christ.

The enemy’s primary strategy is always to dig up our past and rub our nose in sins and failings that have haunted us for days or decades.  The truth is, however, that in Christ we walk in a continual state of forgiveness purchased by the blood of the Lamb.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have entered into a covenant in which the Lord declares, “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more” (Heb.8:12).   David put it this way.  “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Ps.103:11-14).

The enemy accuses us of things for which there is no record in heaven. Peter declared, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19-20).  The idea of “blotting out” is to wipe clean.  When ancient inks were used on animal skins there was no acid in the ink to bite into the skin.  It sat on the surface like watercolor on glass and when wiped with a wet rag, anything written was totally erased.  That is what God does with our sin when he blots it out.

Here is the essential truth you can stand on. You are forgiven.  Your sins are washed away.  There is no record in heaven because God remembers your sins no more. Satan brings up our past. We bring up our past.  But God does not bring up our past because our past is covered by the blood of Jesus. The enemy accuses you of things for which there is no remembrance.  The enemy is a liar.  You are forgiven and live in a constant state of forgiveness as long as your heart points in the direction of the Father.

Because of that, God considers you pure and righteous and has lavished his grace on you.  The word “lavish” means “in abundance” or “in excess.”  God has given you more grace than you ever needed.  Grace is God’s enabling power that comes to you freely because of what Jesus has done. Think of an exclusive club (if you’re a golfer think of Augusta Country Club) you always wanted to join or a university you always wanted to attend.  Being in the club would give you immense status and privileges.  Graduating from the “right” university would do the same. The catch is that you could never afford the dues or the tuition nor do you know the right people whose influence could get you in.

However, if someone loved you and paid the dues or the tuition on your behalf, you still get all the status and privileges of membership or connection even though you got there on someone else’s dime – someone else’s grace.  The enemy, of course will come along and tell you that you should not take advantage of the status and privileges because someone else paid your way.  However, They paid your way because they wanted you to have the status and privileges and they wanted you to use them and enjoy them. To spurn the advantages from the gift is to spurn the gift because it is all the same.

You are forgiven.  You are perfectly righteous in the sight of God by his grace, his good pleasure, and his desire. It is his will and his desire that you enjoy and use every blessing in heaven for his purposes and his glory.  He has given you such unique standing that not only has he made you righteous but he has shared with you the mystery of his will – the good news of Jesus Christ that saves not only Jews but Gentiles.

Peter tells us that the great prophets of old did not understand the prophecies they declared and that even angels longed to look into the things that have been entrusted to the church for declaration to the world and the spirit realm. (See 1 Pet.1:12).  You are the church.

When the Holy Spirit gives you insight into scripture and when you share that insight with others, God has given you the honor of revealing another facet of the mystery of the kingdom – not only to men but also to angels.  When you share the gospel with others and explain it to them, you are the oracle of God declaring his mysteries to both the natural and the spiritual realm. A great treasure has been entrusted to you whether you feel the honor and the responsibility or not.  So…you are righteous; you are one upon whom God has lavished his grace; you are the one to whom God has entrusted his mysteries.  You are one chosen from the creation of the world for these things.  God has planned greatness for you and he wants you to embrace that greatness.  Be blessed today knowing who you are.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Eph.1:4-6)

We are continuing to talk about who we are in Christ and more specifically who you are in Christ.  The Holy Spirit is very clear in this passage about God’s intentions for you.  You are not just a random life floating through the universe.  According to the apostle Paul, God in his foreknowledge saw a number of people who would respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ if given a chance.  And so, it was determined before the creation of the world that Jesus would die on behalf of those who would believe. If you are in Christ, then you are one of those.  If you are considering Christ, then I believe you are one of those he chose before he put his hand to the ground and formed Adam in the Garden.

In his foreknowledge, God saw your heart.  It was a heart that would respond in faith to his grace and so he created a destiny for you.  Typically, we see much less in ourselves than God sees in us but he sees the potential in you for faith and greatness in his kingdom.  Most of us don’t agree with God about our own capacity.  We can’t imagine doing anything that God or heaven would  applaud. Be careful that you don’t begin to evaluate God’s estimation of you on the basis of what the world considers greatness.  Instead, consider greatness as it is measured in heaven.

Greatness in the kingdom is first measured by the condition of the heart rather than by great deeds. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul is clear that you could do amazing and epic things but without love they would count for nothing.  So love is greater than deeds.  Hebrews 11 is clear that faith is the real currency in the kingdom of heaven. Abraham was justified by faith, by believing God, before his “doing” was ever praised.  Faith, then, is greater than deeds. Through the prophet Hosea, God said, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). So even mercy is greater than the things we do.

Before you begin to evaluate yourself on the basis of your performance and possessions…look first at your heart.  As you scan all the men and women counted as great in the kingdom of God on Hebrews 11, very few were kings and very few possessed wealth.  But even for those that did, their power and possessions were not mentioned. There faith was what caught heaven’s attention.  It was faith that made them famous in the court of the King.  The world measures greatness, even for Christians by name recognition, books published, church size and television audience. But with love, faith, and mercy in your heart your greatness in the kingdom may exceed those men and women with huge television audiences, massive book sales, and sold out stadiums.

“But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mk.12:42-44).  Jesus said that his woman, who by worldly standards hardly counted, was counted greater in the kingdom of heaven than all those who gave great amounts out of their wealth.

God has destined you for greatness because he saw something in your heart through which he could do great things.  To say you were predestined simply means that he created a potential destiny for you before creation.  Of course, you can say no to any part of the destiny you choose, but you can also say yes. God loved you before you were ever conceived and arranged for your adoption before the first sunrise ever lit the eastern horizon.  On top of that, God did not feel compelled to adopt you because it was the “right thing” or the “righteous thing” or because you were pitiful.  He adopted you because it pleased him and because he wanted to.

In the days that Paul penned his letter to the Ephesians, a father could disown his own biological son if he determined to do so.  However, a father could never disown one he had adopted because the adoption was not by accident although a natural birth could be.  Adoption was by choice and the Father would always stand by that choice.  God is not undecided about you.  You are undecided about you.  He saw your potential for greatness before you were conceived. It’s up to you to step into the greatness he has destined. He will make you into whatever you choose by your choices. Whatever you say yes to or no to in the spiritual realm will limit God or release God to do all he has planned for you.

Here is the key – accept God’s evaluation of who you are and your potential for greatness. Focus on your relationship with the Father and a heart that pleases him.  The rest will take care of itself because it is the heart that will make you great or keep you small in the kingdom. Then ask God to make you everything he has seen in you.  Give him control and say yes to every challenge and opportunity because those will be steppingstones to your destiny.  Be blessed today knowing who you are and that God has been involved in your life longer that the earth has whirled through space.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Eph.1:3-6)

The apostle Paul began his letter to the believers in Ephesus by immediately praising God for the things he has done for every believer.  He says first that, as a follower of Jesus, you have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  As you read through Paul’s letter you will find the phrase “in Christ” in numerous verses.  Paul always reminds us that what we have is found only in our relationship with Christ. He quickly points out that because we are in Christ we have numerous spiritual blessings that rest in heavenly realms.  Paul isn’t saying that one day when we get to heaven we will receive these blessings that have been waiting for us there.  Although we will have blessing stored up and waiting for us, many of those blessings are available to us now.

The fact that these blessings are in heavenly realms doesn’t mean they are out of reach because the Kingdom of Heaven is within your reach (See Mt.3:2).  You are a citizen of heaven now (Phil.3:20).  The emphasis on the heavenly is that you have blessings and promises that no man can take away.  Not only that, the nature of your blessings are eternal – there is no expiration date like an old gift card or coupon. Your heavenly blessings are good whenever you need them.

Think of these spiritual blessings as heavenly resources that are accessible to you through faith in Jesus.  Of course, eternal life is huge but then so is the very presence of God living in you by his Spirit. The Spirit himself is willing to deposit in you power, health, wisdom, peace, joy, love, encouragement, intimacy with the Father, revelation, truth, and all kinds of amazing spiritual gifts such as mercy, leadership, administration, creativity, prophecy, tongues (your language for the spirit realm), knowledge, healings, and more.  Each of these blessings is available to you through faith and desire.  These spiritual treasures are for you now not just for after the funeral.  Because they are spiritual in nature they surpass all gifts and blessings available in the natural realm and you have access to the spiritual realm because you are spiritual.

Paul is also quick to point out that you were chosen.  If you ever participated in team sports you understand the power of being chosen.  You were chosen because the coach or the team captain saw value in you. He saw potential and greatness in you or you would not have been chosen.  He also saw desire and he knew that your desire to be on the team and to play well would drive you to do more and be more. God saw something in you and you were chosen. Not only were you chosen but you stepped up and accepted the invitation. The text goes on to say that you were chosen to be “holy and blameless in his sight.”  In many ways this is a mystery.  But Paul also tells us that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”(2 Cor.5:21).

Many of us feel our weakness and our tendency to sin.  We feel unworthy of the blessings of God.  By faith you must accept that God, in his foreknowledge, saw something in you that prompted him to choose you, make you righteous and wholly acceptable by the blood of his Son, give you standing in heaven and make the blessings of his kingdom available to you on earth.  When you feel unworthy, you are feeling your flesh but God relates to you through your spirit.  You see yourself through your flesh but God sees you through your spirit and your spirit loves the things of God even when you are unaware of it (see Rom.7:21-22).  In his sight you are holy and blameless.

That doesn’t mean we can live anyway we choose. We are also told, “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb.10:14).  By the sacrifice of Jesus you have been given the standing in heaven of being perfect (sinless, righteous, pure) while he is making you holy.  God is committed to making you like Jesus.  He wants you to not only have a position of holiness but a condition of holiness as well. However, while he is doing that you can still come before him as a perfect son or daughter of God expecting his help and access to your spiritual blessings in time of need. (See Heb.4:16).

Paul then goes on to tell you that you were predestined before the foundation of the world to be adopted.  What in the world does that mean?  We’ll talk about that in the next blog. But in the meantime remember who you are in Christ. Think about it.  Chew on it. Start to speak it by faith and be blessed.

A spiritual person lives life first by principles and perspectives grounded in God’s spiritual realm. The natural man first references principles and perspectives that are grounded in the natural realm.  Those reference points are very different.  If we find our identity in the spiritual realm through what Christ has done for us then we are living as spiritual men and women.  If we find our identity primarily in the natural realm then we are not living as spiritual men or women.  If we are to experience all that God has for us on this earth we must choose to live as spiritual people and give God’s word much more weight than anything we have been taught or told in the toxic environment of a fallen world.

Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus is full of references about who every believer is in Christ.  In that letter we discover who God says we are rather than what the world or the broken people in our lives say we are.  The church in Ephesus was in dire need of such revelation.  Ephesus was a significant, cosmopolitan city in the days of Paul. Great pagan temples stood in the city and with its harbor it was a city of trade and financial power as well.  It was primarily Greek in culture with Rome adding her influence.  In the New Testament it becomes apparent that many of the early Christians were not great or influential by the world’s standards.  Even the apostles had been only fishermen and tax collectors rather than educators, statesmen, or business czars.  The early church had some people of standing and wealth but most were slaves and working class people.  In a city like Ephesus it would have been easy to feel inferior or inadequate.  It would have been easy to feel like powerless people following a new and strange religion scoffed at by the rich and powerful.  Because of that, I believe the Holy Spirit revealed their status in the Heavenly Jerusalem so that they might walk among the powerful in Ephesus not just as equals but as citizens of an even greater and enduring city.

Paul beings simply with “To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph.1:1).  In the Kingdom of God every believer is a saint, a holy one. Biblically, the idea of “saint” is not some super Christian but a saint is one who has been sanctified or set apart for service to God.  No one in the kingdom is ordinary.  As a believer you have been set apart from every unbeliever on the planet.  You have been given the Holy Spirit as a seal marking you as one who belongs to the King. This seal makes you a citizen of heaven and grants you the rights and privileges of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Though the world may view you as ordinary the Creator sees you as exceptional, set apart, designated as holy, his beloved, his family, his son, his daughter, and his designated representative on the earth. On top of that you are declared faithful. Faithfulness is of great value in the Kingdom of Heaven.   Perhaps, you are not always faithful but you are counted as faithful in Christ while God is working in you to make your heart match the word he has declared over you.

So then, you are holy.  You are a saint.  You are faithful.  These are highly significant descriptions in the spiritual realm.  These designations make you greater than kings and presidents who rule in the natural realm and they give you authority over demons.  Paul says that you will judge angels (See 1 Cor, 6:3).  On that day you will sit higher than any Supreme Court Justice and have more glory than any celebrity on the planet.  It is not who you will be some day but who you are now because God has declared it. That is who you are and that is just a start. More tomorrow.  Be blessed today knowing who you are.

“Remind Me Who I Am”

Jason Gray

When I lose my way, And I forget my name, Remind me who I am.

In the mirror all I see, Is who I don’t wanna be, Remind me who I am.

In the loneliest places, When I can’t remember what grace is.

Tell me once again who I am to You, Who I am to You.

Tell me lest I forget who I am to You, That I belong to You. To You.

When my heart is like a stone, And I’m running far from home,

Remind me who I am. When I can’t receive Your love,

Afraid I’ll never be enough, Remind me who I am.

If I’m Your beloved, Can You help me believe it.

Tell me once again who I am to You, Who I am to You,

Tell me lest I forget who I am to You. That I belong to You. To You.

I’m the one you love, I’m the one you love,

That will be enough, I’m the one you love.

Tell me once again who I am to You. Who I am to You.

Tell me lest I forget who I am to You, That I belong to You.

Jason Gray’s lyrics are so on target for our greatest post-salvation need – to know who we are in Jesus. Other than doctrinal misunderstandings, what is it that keeps believers from walking in the blessing, the power, and the authority that is theirs in Jesus Christ?  For most of us, it is either a lack of understanding about what Jesus has actually done for us or an inability to receive those blessings for ourselves because of our sense of unworthiness and inadequacy.

The wise man says, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he”  (Prov.23:7, KJV).  My deep-seated beliefs about myself may unleash me for greatness because I believe I can do all things through Christ and that he has made me worthy of his blessings and gifts.  My deep-seated beliefs about myself may also put a ceiling on my destiny if I can’t see myself doing exceptional things in the kingdom or because I believe I am unworthy to receive amazing gifts and a destiny from the King.  Many of us are quick to believe those things for others but not for ourselves.

A great deal of our personal transformation, our ability to hear God, and our capacity to receive and exercise spiritual gifts depends on knowing and believing who we are in Christ.  The notion that we are only poor, struggling sinners saved by grace is not a biblical notion. It is true that we may come to Christ that way but he does not leave us there.  One of the hymns sung nearly every Sunday in the churches I attended after becoming a Christian put it this way, “Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
for such a worm as I? (At the Cross by Isaac Watts).

Watts may have meant that I was in that condition when Christ found me but I received a fairly steady diet of “worm theology” for several years after coming to faith. That theology emphasized my utter unworthiness to be saved so that I could appreciate the grace it took to save me.  The problem was that the “worm theology” left me believing “once a worm, always a worm.”  I was taught that there was really no difference between the unsaved and me other than the fact that the blood of Christ had covered my sins.   As a result, myself and those around me had fairly low expectations for ourselves and had little expectation for transformation in our lives much less for doing extraordinary things in the kingdom of God.

There is some truth in that theology in the sense that I was and am in need of grace and that I could never merit salvation on the basis of my personal righteousness. The truth is, however, that when we come to Christ we may go into the water a worm but we come out as sons and daughters of God Almighty.  At that point there is a vast difference between the saved and the lost. The difference is not just forgiven or unforgiven but also identity, capacity, authority, and destiny.

Coming to know who I am in Jesus and living up to my standing and privilege is crucial in becoming and accomplishing all that Jesus has for me.  Because of that, I am going to spend the next few blogs working out of Ephesians and exploring who we are in Christ. I have spoken about these things before but I feel that God is wanting me to dig a little deeper this time.  The prompting may be for others or it may be for me.  Identity drains you know and needs to be recharged from time to time.  My hope is that our study will write these truths a little deeper on your heart and remind you of who you are “in the loneliest places” as Jason Gray reminds us!  I hope these next few blogs will be a blessing to you.

One of the things I notice as search for the web sites of writers and pastors that I appreciate is that there is always a sprinkling of sights around them accusing them of heresy and of being false prophets. This is especially true of churches and pastors who minister in the fullness of the Spirit and who preach that God still moves in miraculous ways in the 21^st century.

I am often saddened by the harshness expressed in these sights that almost reflect hatred toward those who seek more of the Spirit and who have not embraced a theology that jettisoned the power of God for the church some 2000 years ago.  Undoubtedly we are not to accept every teaching that is presented to the church without question.  John specifically instructs us to test the spirits and Jesus tells us to evaluate the prophets. So lets look at some biblical guidelines for doing that and see how our critical brethren stand up.

1. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 Jn.4:1-3).

False prophets in the New Testament are accused of three things primarily.  The first is false doctrines about Christ – whether or not he is the sinless Son of God, whether or not he actually came in the flesh and actually died and whether there was a physical resurrection. A number of heresies in the 1^st century denied those truths and so N.T. writers warned of such false teachings.

2. False prophets and false teachers attempted to install legalism in the church again rather than grace.  Initially, some orthodox Jewish teachers were trying to talk the followers of Christ into resubmitting to the Law of Moses as a requirement for salvation.  They didn’t deny that Jesus was the Messiah; they simply denied that salvation was by grace and faith alone rather than by keeping strict religious codes.  Later, false prophets with a Greek influence did the same forbidding marriage and laying down dietary laws and extreme self-denial as requirements to make believers acceptable to God. (See 1 Tim.4:1-5).

3. Some false prophets came preaching a grace that ignored the righteousness of God. These teachers encouraged the notion of sinning all you want because God’s grace will cover whatever you do.  These teachers taught that immorality was not an issue because you were saved by what you knew rather than by how you live.  We are not saved by how we live but the new birth and the indwelling Spirit prompt us to righteous living as evidence of our salvation. Those who “sin all the more that grace may abound” simply do not have the Spirit operating within them.

Another major issue in the church has always been division.  Those who cause division are to be marked and the church is to have nothing to do with such men. (See Titus 3:10).  There are many who believe that unity in the body is based on everyone being in doctrinal lock-step with one another and that any doctrines that vary from their own are heresies.  Yet Paul is very clear that we are to “accept him whose faith is weak without passing judgment on disputable matters.” Paul goes on to discuss faith and dietary preferences (vegetarians versus those who eat meat) and keeping one day holy or all days the same (See Rom.14:1-23) Remarkably, Paul says that believers can hold different views on dietary restrictions, holy days, what you can drink, etc. and each believer is acceptable to God. He says that we are not to judge one another in such matters.  Unity and love for one another take priority over disputable matters.

Jesus warned about false prophets and said that by their fruits you will know them.  From our list we could produce a criteria for fruit inspection that should reveal true and false prophets:

1.  Do they teach the truth about Jesus?

2.  Do they teach salvation based on faith and grace rather than works or a strict orthodoxy of belief in all facets of the faith?

3.  Do they call people to righteous living?

4.  Do they have grace for others in disputable matters?

5. Do they promote unity rather than division?

6.  Do they draw people to Jesus or push people away?

7. Since they speak for God, do they reflect the Spirit and character of Christ in all they do – love, joy peace, patience, gentleness, etc.?

I have to say, that the accusers on many websites seen to fit the criteria for false prophets more than the accused.  Their statements are vitriolic rather than loving, patient, and kind. They judge and promote division more than they accept one another  – especially regarding disputable matters such as miracles, prophecy, healing, tongues, etc.  I doubt that they have followed Matthew 18:15 which clearly states that if you have a problem with a brother you must first go and speak to him in private without airing the matter publically.  They tend to undermine faith in those who believe that God still works with power on behalf of his children and they often present a legalistic approach to salvation as they insist that we must all believe every biblical doctrine in the same way in order to be acceptable to God.

I can also tell you that those who believe in the present day power and move of the Spirit see more healings, more radical life transformation, more addictions broken, and more strongholds demolished than those who deny the power of God in these matters.  Good Fruit = Good Tree (See Matt.7:17).  I want to be clear that I am not condemning churches who don’t believe in the full ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Many of these churches are full of people who love Jesus, serve the poor, stand up for the unborn, and share their faith with others.  I wish that they would experience all the Spirit has for them but these are faithful believers.  My problem is with those who seem to carry on witch hunts and publically condemn faithful men and women who serve God and understand some scriptures differently while standing firm on doctrines about Jesus, salvation by grace, and righteous living.  I want to encourage you to not automatically reject the prophets and healers of today because of the accusations and criticisms you see on the Internet.

See what these men and women teach about the essentials of our faith, abut holy living, and see what fruit their ministries bear. Pray about it and see what the Spirit deposits in your heart about these servants of God before rejecting those who simply seek more of the Spirit.  Be blessed.

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”  (Judges 6:12-16)

If you read the book of Judges, you will discover a cycle that occurred over and over throughout the book that covers several hundred years of Jewish history.  After God had established Israel in the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, the nation prospered.  As they prospered, their perceived need for God diminished along with their obedience. Eventually, Israel would forget God, compromise with the culture around them, and begin to worship idols.  In an effort to call them back to faithfulness, God would allow neighboring tribes to conquer and oppress them.  When their misery became too great, Israel would turn their hearts back toward God and God would raise up a deliverer who would lead them to victory against their enemies.  As they found peace and prosperity again they would forget God and the entire cycle would start over.

Gideon was one of those individuals (judges) whom God called to deliver Israel.  In the text above we witness the call of God on Gideon.  When we first see Gideon he is threshing wheat in a wine press…probably a cave.  He is hiding what he is doing from the Midianites who would simply take the wheat if they discovered it being processed.  The angel’s words seem ironic Gideon.  “The Lord is with you mighty warrior.”

Neither of these truths was apparent to Gideon.  In his mind he was so far from being a mighty warrior that he didn’t even respond to that part of the greeting.  But he did ask honestly, “If the Lord is with us, then why are things such a mess?”  Most of us have had that same question in our own lives.  “If God loves me and is with me then why have my prayers not been answered?  Why have I not been healed?  Why is my adult child being destroyed by addictions?  Why am I still unemployed? Why did my marriage end in divorce?  Why am I still single when all I ever wanted was a family?”  Then, in so many words, Gideon goes on to ask, “If God is really a God of miracles and deliverance then why haven’t I seen any?”

I believe that Gideon had already been giving some thought to those questions. Perhaps, he had been praying for God to so something – not just for him but for the nation.  After all, weren’t the Jews still God’s chosen people and weren’t the Midianites still pagans who had gave no honor to the God of Israel at all?  God’s answer was interesting.  “Go in the strength you have and save Israel.”  In other words, “Gideon, you have been asking for me to raise up someone to lead Israel out of bondage again. Great thought!  I choose you!”

Of course, Gideon immediately declined the opportunity and pointed out all of his shortcomings.  He responded as Moses had responded at the burning bush.  “Here am I Lord, send anyone else!”  Gideon saw the problem clearly he just didn’t see himself as part of the solution. He didn’t perceive himself as mighty or as a warrior and he had not perceived the hand of God in Israel’s condition. And yet, as always, God is willing to move in powerful ways in response to our prayers if we are willing to partner with him.

How may times have we moaned about the condition of our congregation, a ministry within it, the church, the nation, or our community and asked God to do something powerful to correct the issues that are so clear to us?  How often do we pray and wait for God to raise up someone to carry the banner for the cause that we have lifted to heaven but never volunteer ourselves? Part of that is because we usually believe others are more spiritual, more experienced and more qualified than we are.  But God says, “I will go with you.”

First of all, taking on a mission that is over our heads will actually make us more dependent on God which is the very thing that makes us more spiritual. Secondly, if we were experienced we would insist on doing it our way instead of God’s way.  If Joshua had been experienced in warfare against walled cities he would have never marched around Jericho seven times to blow rams horns and shout.  Instead, he would have built catapults and siege ramps. Thirdly, the main thing that qualifies people for impossible missions in the kingdom of God is a simple willingness to be used.

God declared that Gideon was a mighty warrior because God was going to make him into a mighty warrior. God also declared that he was with Gideon because he had always been with Gideon.  He was even with the nation because he had not forsaken Israel but had been hovering and waiting for their hearts to turn towards him again.

It’s true that God is looking for great men and women of faith that he can use for his purposes but none of them started out great.  They were just willing to give God a hearing and to take the next step.  God took care of the rest. That is all he wants from you and from me.  God used Gideon in very unconventional ways but he used him and won great victories as a result.

God rarely asks us to lead a nation into war (although he might) but he does ask us to share out faith with a hard case, pray boldly for healing in the face of stage four cancer, lead a small group, lead a ministry, mentor someone, raise money for the poor or lead a movement in our communities.  If he has put a problem on your heart, then he may well want you to be the one through whom he solves the problem.  Volunteer yourself to God. Risk a little. Trust that God will go with you.  You’ll be amazed at what God calls forth from your life!  Be blessed and watch out for angels asking odd questions.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt: 7:21-23)

Christ’s words at the end of his “Sermon on the Mount” are one of those texts that always arrests our attention.  How can men walk in the power of the Spirit so that they can perform miracles and not be known by Jesus?  Even more, how can they drive our demons and be considered evildoers?

With Good Friday upon us I am reminded of Judas. He walked with Jesus for three years. He kept company with the apostles.  When he was sent out with the twelve to heal and cast out demons there is no indication that he was unable to perform miracles. And yet, we are told that even as he traveled with Jesus and his disciples he stole money from time to time from the group’s traveling fund and eventually betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.  Apparently, we can spend time in the presence of Jesus, fellowship with believers, and even see and do amazing things without truly turning out hearts to the Savior.

Judas was a double-minded man who had not fully made a decision to follow Jesus.  All indications are that he loved money and with that “idol” usually come the idols of power and status.  Perhaps he joined the mission believing that Jesus would establish himself as King of Israel and with his ties to the crown would come the financial perks, power, and standing he desired.  Each year he followed Jesus that vision seemed to slip away as he watched Jesus reject the power that circumstances offered him from time to time.  There were moments when the crowds wanted to declare him King and yet Jesus would slip away.  It’s possible that Judas began to resent Jesus or even feel betrayed as if Jesus were not making good on the bargain for political power that Judas had imagined.  In the end, whether to force Jesus to take power or simply wanting to make something out of this “failing enterprise,” Judas betrayed the King of Glory.

He had certainly called Jesus “Lord” and had apparently cast out demons and healed the sick in the name of Jesus but his heart was far from the one who would die for him.  In the end, he did not love Jesus and could not be counted as one of His.  Of course, there is a warning for all of us in this final stanza of the Sermon and in the story of Judas.

We can do amazing things in our own strength and with our own God-given talents.  We can even use the powerful name of Jesus to drive out demons and, perhaps, even to heal the sick.  We can stand on stages before thousands and call them all to faith and repentance.  We can ask others to give their hearts to Jesus when we have not yet given ours.

It’s possible to follow Jesus simply for personal gain without loving the one who died for us.  Any leader has followers who love him, will sacrifice for him, and have the same vision burning in their hearts that the leader possesses. At the same time others serve simply for the perks of power or fame.  In the end, they have no loyalty and will give themselves to the next highest bidder.  I believe those are the ones to whom Jesus will say, “ I never knew you.”

Sometimes, like the church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation, I need to be reminded to return to my first love and to stir my heart for Jesus once again.  This seems to be the perfect time of year for that. Without becoming too introspective or self-focused it is still worthwhile to scan our own hearts from time to time to check our motives for following Jesus and to see if any idols have been silently erected in our hearts without us even noticing.

At Passover, Jewish mothers have the task of clearing every suggestion of leaven out of their homes and the father of the house is to double check to make sure that not even one crumb remains.  Leaven symbolizes sin and so perhaps at this time of year we might do our own house cleaning checking for leaven in our own hearts – divided loyalties, serving simply out of self-interest, maintaining the appearance of respectability, or simply out of habit after years church going.

Is anything crowding out Jesus or muddying the waters of our love and loyalty to Him?  If so clean it out.  Rekindle the fires of love and appreciation for the one who hung on a cross fore each of us and get back to serving the King of Kings.  It’s not enough that we do amazing things.  We must do those things out of love for the one who first loved us.  Be blessed this Easter!

I had a good friend in the Lord text me this morning about having met with a young believer recently who passionately insisted that God no longer speaks to his people apart from the Bible.  I was schooled in that theology for many years and know the warnings attached to it about the devil deceiving us if we receive any direction other than from the Word of God. The expression I always heard was that the Holy Spirit only speaks through scripture in this day and age.  Since we have the completed text of the Bible we need nothing else.

The idea is imbedded in the whole Cessationist view that God no longer works miracles as he did in the Bible and the Holy Spirit no longer bestows the power gifts of healing, prophecy, tongues, miracles, etc. as he did for the New Testament church.  The idea is that God only operated in those ways to confirm that Jesus was his Son and that those who wrote the Bible were indeed inspired. Once the New Testament was completed there was no further need for the miraculous since the record of such miracles should be sufficient. God speaking to men apart from his written word seems to land in that category of the miraculous so he must not act in those ways any longer.

Those who follow this view divide biblical history up into dispensations or eras in which God operated differently – especially the dispensations of the Old Covenant and the New. One was a covenant of Law, an earthly priesthood, the temple, animal sacrifices, and so forth.  The New Covenant is the era of grace, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the church without an earthly priesthood and animal sacrifices.  A mindset that divides the Bible into neat modules of time then leads one to ask how God will act differently in this age than he did before and so this theology ascribes miracles to times past but not today including God speaking to people apart for his written word.

Here is the problem I have with that view.  The attributes or the nature of God does not change in any dispensation.  Some attributes and some activities span all of history because they reflect who God is.   God expects righteousness in every generation and dispensation.  His call for sacrifice began just this side of the Garden of Eden and extends through all time by the eternal blood of the lamb and our lives (living sacrifices) and worship.  He has always operated as a covenant God and has always pursued a chosen people.  When we see God’s attributes in every dispensation recorded in scripture them we must believe that he displays those same attributes today unless there is a clear commandment to the contrary.

We can argue about many things but God has always spoken to his people apart from the written Word.  Of course, Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob preceded the written Law handed down on Sinai. But, since Elohim is relational and relationships have always been formed through personal, two-way communication, he spoke to the patriarchs and their sons.  Once the Law was given we could argue that Moses and Israel had the written record that was all they needed to live for God and keep his commandments.  But in addition, God gave Israel the Tent of Meeting where he could be sought out for personal communication. Even though Israel had the written word, he spoke apart form the written word to Moses, Joshua, all the judges, the prophets, and often priests.  He spoke to simple carpenters, virgins, and elderly widows who spent their time in the temple courts.  He spoke by his Spirit, by angels, by fleeces, by prophets, and so forth apart form the written word – the Torah.

In the New Testament we see the same pattern. God speaking to people through angels, dreams, visions, prophets, and his Spirit and these people were not all apostles or writers of the New Testament.  They were people who needed a specific word beyond what could be found in the scriptures.  In Acts 1, Peter declared that they must appoint an apostle to take the place of Judas.  Jesus had given them all the qualifications for an apostle but when the moment came they had a problem.  The word Jesus had already given them was not sufficient because they had two men qualified to be apostles but only one position. So…they asked God to speak to them apart from the Word that had already been given because only God knew the hearts of the men who were apparently both qualified.  They cast lots and Mathias was chosen.

We have the same dilemma time after time in our own lives. We love the Word, study the Word, and derive principals for godly living form that Word.  But on occasion we need more than principals – we need a clear word of direction or “leading” from the Lord. To say that we sensed God’s leading from circumstances is to admit that God gives us direction apart form his word in miraculous ways Even Cessationists pray for leading and direction in marriage, selection of pastors, missions, and so forth. Why not just look in the book?

It’s because we need a specific word for a specific circumstance and the written word cannot tell us whether to turn left or right.  If God leads apart form the Word through circumstances, or dreams, provision, or open and closed doors then he communicates apart from his Word.  Hearing his voice is not different. And we should not be surprised because God has spoken to his people in that way on nearly every page of the Bible as an example of his hunger for relationship with his children. To say he spoke from Genesis to Revelation apart from a written word but became silent as soon as the last apostle died is to deny the very nature and the patterns of God across the ages.  Even those who don’t believe God speaks hear him.  They simply don’t know that what they are hearing is from the Father. They miss so much and miss so much of the relationship.  My hope is that you hear from him today – through his written word and in many other ways.  Listen…. God is speaking.   Be blessed.

Anyone who has read biographies of British evangelists, especially charismatic evangelists, have run across the name Smith Wigglesworth.  He was born in 1859 and died in 1947.  He was painfully shy and took every opportunity to avoid speaking in public until the Holy Spirit fell on him in 1907.  He received a vision of Jesus and the gift of tongues. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit he was a changed man filled with boldness and power.  His wife was astonished at the change.

Wigglesworth preached four principles that he believed should guide the life of every believer.

• Read the Word of God.
• Consume the Word of God until it consumes you.
• Believe the Word of God.
• Act on the Word of God.

Those four principles seem basic and almost self-evident but Wigglesworth radically followed each principle in his own life. He followed them so radically that he offended soft-spoken religionists across the United Kingdom. He often acted in extreme and bazaar ways but led thousands to Christ and maintained a phenomenal healing ministry for decades.

It’s documented that he punched a cancer victim so hard that he fell to the ground but was healed when he stood up.  Wigglesworth simply commented that he didn’t hit people but he did hit the devil. If people got in the way he couldn’t help it. He explained that you can’t deal gently with the devil or comfort him because he likes to be comforted.  Wigglesworth was never accused of being comforting to the devil or even to people on many occasions.  It’s also reported that during a meeting, Wigglesworth kicked a deformed infant all the way across the stage but when the child landed he was healed and whole. Another account finds him shouting at a crippled woman to walk and then impatiently pushing her until she sort of fell into a run with Wigglesworth chasing her up the aisle of the church shouting at her until she ran out the door.  She was healed.

Now, I’m not endorsing punching, kicking or chasing as a matter of style.  But here is the thing.

This man was radically committed to doing whatever he heard God tell him to do even when it was unorthodox, unpopular, extreme, strange or criticized by other religious leaders. His total goal was pleasing God not finding acceptance among men.

If you think about it, Jesus was just as radical.  He often healed on the Sabbath while religious leaders screamed that he was a devil.  He put his fingers in ears, mud on eyes, touched lepers who were never to be touched, stopped funerals and raised the dead, drove demons into pigs who then hurled themselves into the sea, and so forth.  He was radical, controversial, and totally obedient to the Father.

If we want to move in the power of the Spirit we have to catch a little (or a lot) of that spirit. I have often noticed that God uses extreme people in extreme ways.  God’s power often comes wrapped in strange packages.  That has always been the case. Take John the Baptist who lived in the desert on locusts and honey, probably never cut his hair, and wore camel skin garments. Extreme. Take Saul of Tarsus who marched through Israel arresting Christians and inciting crowds to stone them to death. He was just as radical for Jesus after his noonday conversion as he had been against Jesus. Extreme.

The church has tried so hard to be socially acceptable and to fit in with the wealthy and powerful of America that she has lost her power. We have become celebrity chasers who draw people to our churches with big names and talent because we have lost the ability to draw them with healing, transformed lives, prophetic words, and funerals that don’t get out of the parking lot because the guest of honor has been raised from the dead.

Wigglesworth was extreme. He did whatever he believed the Lord told him to do and he did it immediately.  Because of his faith and obedience he had a worldwide ministry of healing, deliverance, and evangelism. During his ministry it’s documented that he raised twenty-three people from the dead. Of course he was criticized, called a fraud, and accused of being in league with the devil. It was the same with Jesus. One often quoted phrase from Wigglesworth is,  “Only believe.  Fear looks.  Faith jumps.”

If we want to be great in the kingdom and move in the power of the Spirit we must be willing to hear the Lord and act on what he is telling is….not just in church but at the Mall, Starbucks, Home Depot, or wherever we find ourselves being prompted by the Spirit.  It is so easy to turn God down because we fear being wrong, causing a scene, feeling foolish, being in a hurry, or being rejected.  I struggle with the same thoughts and internal pushback in those moments. But being obedient and being willing to risk all of the above is truly liberating for your faith and God honors faith with action from heaven.

As we approach Easter, the most extreme moment in history when a dead man rose from the grave having conquered death and hell, perhaps we can choose to be a little more extreme in our own lives. If we will choose radical obedience then perhaps the church will choose it and once again simple men will turn the world upside down. Be blessed as you step out in faith doing the impossible with God who is even willing to raise the dead when there is faith and obedience.